


Stay, Peeta

by Professional9100



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gale being overprotective, and Madge is a badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 02:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17071931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Professional9100/pseuds/Professional9100
Summary: Katniss and Peeta have been friends for years, practically inseparable. But when someone threatens to come between them, their friendship will be put to the test.A story about betrayal, heartbreak, and love.





	Stay, Peeta

**Present**

 

I stare at his sleeping form on the bed and feel warmth spread inside me. I envisioned us together like this so many times that it’s hard to believe this isn’t a dream. I realize I won’t have to imagine how good his hands feel on my body, how soft his lips are when they mold with mine, how breathless his voice is when he moans my name, or when after he comes inside me, how his blue orbs turn an even brighter shade of blue. Almost like the sky on a clear summer day.

I don’t have to guess anymore because I know. I know how it is to be loved by him. By my Peeta.

It took us quite some time to get to this point in our lives, but I wouldn’t change a thing.

How could I when after everything I would be lying in our marital bed and get to call Peeta mine forever?

 

He was worth it.

……..   

**Two years ago**

 

From the moment we met at five years old, I knew Peeta was special. His soothing voice and comforting hugs giving me enough strength to bear or conquer anything.

We were so attached at the hip that Prim noticed. She asked me at seven years old if Peeta and I were boyfriend and girlfriend. I had blushed and said no. “Well, I know you will be.” She had said matter-of-factly.

It gave me hope that maybe Peeta could return my feelings one day.

That hope was crushed a few years later in high school when I saw his arms wrapped around another girl’s waist. And it’s not just any random girl in our senior class. It was Delly Cartwright of all people. Peeta’s new friend.

I ran to the girls’ bathroom and into a stall. I couldn’t breathe.  _“That manipulative bitch!”_ A voice in my head screams. Why did Delly have to see my notebook that had Peeta’s name all over the page that prompted her to ask the question, “do you like Peeta?” Why would she suddenly talk to me when she’s never before?

 

How could I let myself be deceived by her?

 

I never liked Delly when Peeta introduced her to me the beginning of senior year. I could tell from the way she stood beside Peeta that she was a person who always got what she wanted. My hatred for Delly also stemmed from the way she tended to invite herself on Peeta’s and my excursions and ignored me, all the while, having a firm grasp of Peeta’s arm.

I will not cry. I will not cry.

I unlock the hatch and step up to the sink. I splash cold water in my face, then grab a paper towel. As I’m wiping my eyes, I hear a familiar high-pitched voice near the door to the bathroom.

“Well, howdy, Katniss! What are you doing in here? Peeta and I have been waiting for you by his locker. Let’s go have lunch!” I hear her emphasize ‘ _Peeta and I_ ’ heavily and resist the urge to smack that fake smile off her face.

Delly shuts the door and walks up to the sink adjacent to mine. “I did you a favor, Katniss.” She fluffs her hair, admiring herself in the mirror as she talks to me. “I would hate to see your face when Peeta rejects your feelings. I did what any friend would and asked if he returned your feelings.”

I can’t help but sound eager. “What did he say?”

Delly looks away from her reflection and puts a consoling hand on my shoulder. She frowns, but I see the mischievous look in her eyes. She finds my pain amusing. “He said no. I’m sorry, K.”

She sounds anything but sorry.

I try not to let out a sob as my heart breaks into a million pieces. It can’t be true. How can I believe Delly? But I’m too afraid to ask Peeta for fear it is in fact true.

“He finds me to be likable and asked me on a date! I went ahead and said yes, of course. I hope you don’t mind?” Delly giggles.

I ignore her.

Marching straight out into the crowded hall of teenagers, I make my way to the nearest exit. From there, I run home.

I don’t talk to Peeta for the rest of the year. He tries to make attempts to get in touch with me, but I can’t face him. The image of Delly and him hugging runs at a constant loop in my brain to where it physically hurts me to see Peeta.

 

We end up speaking after graduation. He cornered me near my house and demanded an explanation of my behavior. Our conversation gets heated real quick. As I reveal to him about Delly being a manipulator and a liar, he stops me.

“Wait, wait. Delly said the same thing about you. That you intimidate her and say shit behind her back. Is that true?”

“And you believe her? More than your best friend?” He drops his eyes to the ground.

She’s got him wrapped around her finger, I think. I step back, shocked that he’s siding with her.

“ _He’s mine_.” Delly’s saccharine voice echoes in my ear.

 

A sharp pain near my chest begins to take form.

 

“I hate you.” The words pass my lips without permission.

Peeta lifts his head sharply. “What?” he whispers.

All the anger I’ve withheld envelops me suddenly. I hate this version of Peeta that is in front of me. My Peeta would never think ill of me. It’s all because of Delly. She tarnished my good and loyal Peeta and transformed him into a mutt of her own creation.

“I HATE YOU AND WISH WE NEVER MET!”

 

That was the last time I saw Peeta.

 

Shortly after our fight, my mom wanted to move back to our hometown in Denver for a job offer. She tells me and Prim it “pays well” and “it’ll be nice to return home”, but I highly suspect our sudden move has to be because Dad has remarried and been seen around town with his new wife. The rumors of our new stepmother being pregnant is probably another indicator. Nevertheless, I don’t object and begin packing my belongings. I want to leave Panem and never look back. There’s nothing for me here anymore.

A week later, my mom, Prim and I step off the plane and meet Uncle Haymitch at baggage claim in Denver. He helps us settle in at his place until we find an apartment.

 

As Prim and mom continue to unpack, I decide to venture out and explore Denver some more.

I’m passing the street when I see a sign up ahead that reads ‘Hawthorne’s Outdoor Gear’. The name seems vaguely familiar to me. I make my way to the shop and step inside to investigate.

It’s big inside with shelves holding everything you need for the outdoors. On the shelf nearest me are bug sprays and suntan lotion. On the right side wall hangs a range of bows with a sheath of arrows and targets beside it. On the other wall ahead are the canoes and tents.

“Hi, there! Welcome to the shop! How may I help you, miss?” A booming voice shouts from the wide counter at the back of the store. He’s in his late forties with a goatee. The man steps out from behind the counter and sees what has my attention. “Ah. You wanna try it out?”

“Just looking,” I say as I observe a bow on the wall. “It’s been a few years since I’ve held a bow in my hands. I’m probably rusty. It’s been--” I’m cut off when the man lifts me in the air.

He laughs and quickly sets me down. “Katniss! It’s me, Matthew! Gale’s father.”

My tense shoulders relax as I begin to recognize him. “That’s right. How are you, Mr. Hawthorne?”

He raises his finger and flicks my nose. He would always do that when I was a kid. “No, no, no. It’s Matthew. Got it, kid?”

I rub my nose and reply. “Sure, if you stop doing that. I’ll resemble Rudolph and end up getting teased for it if you don’t.”

 

“You’d make a cute Rudolph, Catnip.”

 

A younger looking Mr. Hawthorne approaches us and grins at me. 

I’m speechless. The six foot tall, slim figure with the same grey eyes as mine does not match with the chubby, short kid I use to play with as a kid before I moved away to Panem.

“Admire all you want. Just so you know, I’m taken. But I’m flattered you can’t seem to take your eyes off my body.” Gale winks.

I roll my eyes.

Matthew lets out another booming laugh and claps his son’s shoulder. “I’ll let you two catch up.” He belts out another hello to the customer that just entered the store and begins a conversation with them.

Gale flicks my ear. I reach up and cover it. “Ow! What?”

He nods his head over to the big counter where the register sits. “Why are you back? Visiting? Missed me?” He smiles crookedly at me, wiggling his eyebrows.

I shove him. “No, dumbass. My mom got a job down here.”

Gale walks behind the counter, resting his elbows on top of the white, pristine surface. “Nah, really. What the hell you down here for?”

I fold my arms against my chest and release a deep sigh.

“What?” Gale asks after I haven’t said anything.

His questioning my being here gets me choked up. I sniffle and stare stubbornly down at my boots. Next thing I know, I’m in Gale’s arms. He starts rubbing my back up and down.

“Alright,” his voice threatening in my ears, “who did this to my friend? Who do I have to beat up?”

“No one. And why are you getting so defensive? You’ve known me for all of five minutes.”

“Hey!” he whines. It brings a small smile to my face. Gale lets me go just as a beautiful woman with strawberry-blonde hair, a crop top, and skinny jeans breezes through the back entrance of the shop. She stops short as Gale and I drop our arms. The woman raises her eyebrow at Gale, her head tilted and her hands on her hips.

“I step out for one minute and I come back to see your hands on another girl? I seriously need to get you a leash.”

“For the last time, Madge! Glimmer came on to me! I was trying to move her hands off my body when you walked in.”

The woman, Madge, huffs. “Better have been. I taught that bitch a lesson anyway.” She climbs atop the counter, her knees bent. Wrapping her arms around Gale’s shoulders, Madge leans down and gives Gale a light kiss. “No one touches you but me.”

Gale grins wolfishly up at her. “Same to you, babe.”

 

I turn away before they kiss again. 

They eventually stop, mostly due to Matthew’s insistence.

“This is why I don’t have customers,” he muttered as he passes me on the way to the front of the store.

 

Madge jumps down from the counter and stands in front of me. “Hi. I’m Madge. This goofball’s girlfriend.” She points her finger at Gale. “Who are you?”

Gale introduces her to me and we all get to know each other in the next hour.

I eventually tell them the real reason why I left Panem. They would have found some way to get it out of me. Gale balls his fists and starts pacing. He looks like a bull about to charge. “That guy sounds like a prick. How could he take that evil bitch’s word against yours?” He stops and faces me abruptly, his hand splayed over his chest. “You know I wouldn’t betray you right, Catnip?”

“I’M KICKING SOME WHITE GIRL ASS.” Madge starts to shadowbox, muttering curses and Delly’s name with every strike in the air.

 

I start to wonder if it was such a good idea to tell them.

 

To cheer me up, they decide to drag me to the nearest bar and urge me to drink until I can’t remember anything. Then they carry me to a karaoke bar to sing out my pain. Overall, it was a good day.

We make plans to meet up again soon.

I stumble clumsily through the condo, trying to find mine and Prim’s room. Once I do, I step inside and collapse on the blow up mattress and quickly fall asleep.

……….

 _I knew something was wrong with Peeta._ _He was quiet. He’s never quiet when around me. We’re so loud sometimes that mommy tells us to run outside to play._

 _I grabbed Peeta’s hand and tugged him to sit on the couch. "_ _What’s up, Peeta? Why are you sad?”_

 _He sighed. He grumbled something but I couldn’t hear what he said._ _I bent closer to him. “What was that?”_

_Peeta took a deep breath. “We might move away.”_

_I gasp. “Why?”_

_He shrugs. “I heard mommy and daddy talking about it this morning. I don’t want to go, Katniss!”_

_I knew I had to be strong for Peeta. I had to give him hope. So, I took his hand and held it tightly. "_ _I_ _promise you won’t leave, Peeta. You’ll stay with me forever.”_

_Peeta wiped his eyes. “Forever?”_

_“Yeah! Stay, Peeta. With me.”_

_He laughed. I liked seeing his smile._

_“Okay! I will.”_

……...

“You lied,” I whisper in the darkness. Tears I’ve suppressed all day begin to trickle down my cheeks. I bury my face in my pillow and allow myself to cry just this once. Then, I will start to move on.

 

Losing our friendship, losing Peeta, is like a sucker punch to my stomach.

I wish we could return to the time when we were young when life isn’t complicated. It’s easy, simple.

Peeta and I were in our own little bubble. So carefree, innocent, and happy. Could we ever get that back?

 

A few minutes pass by and slowly my cries grow quieter. I stare at the moon outside my window and it’s comforting. Peaceful.

I take a deep breath and force myself to go to sleep.

…….

**1 month later**

 

The chair beside me is pushed out as my dad sits down with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. He reaches for the newspaper that lies on the corner of the table and opens it. As he idly flips a page, he addresses me. “I thought you weren’t an alcoholic.”

I groan as the pounding in my head gets worse. “You’re too loud.”

He laughs at my misery. “You didn’t drink directly from the bottle did you?” He gestures to the nearly empty vodka bottle beside me.

I nod slowly.

“Did you throw it all up?”

“Not all of it,” I say miserably.

 

I definitely overdid it last night. It was originally supposed to be a few sips. That turned to three shots. Then, I kept going until I felt the urge to throw up. After I was done, I crawled back into the kitchen. I knew I wasn’t going to make it up to my room, so I climbed on the chair I’m currently sitting on and rested my head against the cool table and fell asleep.

My dad gets up from the table and leaves. He returns with a pack of saltine crackers, ibuprofen tablets and a glass of water. “Want to talk about it?”

I swallow the pills and open the packet of crackers. While nibbling on one, I contemplate his question.

“Is it about Delly?”

“Fuck, no.”

“Language, Peeta.”

I sit back against my chair and lay a hand over my stomach. “Sorry. No, it’s...I’m an idiot.”

“You almost drank yourself to death because you’re an idiot? I thought Rye was the idiot of the family.”

Rye pops his head out the door that leads to the front of the bakery. “HEY!”

Dad and I laugh.

“Get back to work!” Dad yells to my older brother. Rye flips us the bird just as the bell at the entrance to the bakery chimes, announcing a customer.

Dad ruffles my hair and lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. “What is it, son?”

Embarrassed, I avoid eye contact and speak to the floor about my trip around town yesterday. “I went searching around town and asked if anyone knew where the Everdeens moved to. Everyone I spoke to said the same thing. They had no clue. Not even their dad knows.”

“Peeta.” I could hear the consoling tone in my dad’s voice.

I sink further into my chair. “I just want to apologize. And I miss her. Katniss is my best friend and I hurt her.”

Dad nudges my chin up. “Peeta,” he spoke softly. “If anyone can find Katniss, it’s you, son. You were so determined as a young child to never lose sight of her. It was amusing when you played hide and seek. You’d run around screaming her name.”

My cheeks heat up as Dad smiles at me.

“Don’t give up on her, Peeta.” he continues. “Make this right. Get her back.”

Dad’s encouragement fuels me up and for a moment, I don’t feel nauseated. Instead, I’m hopeful.

“Thanks, Dad.”

He nods and kisses my temple, then steps out to help Rye with the morning rush. I stretch, then get out of my seat and head upstairs to my room. Putting on a t-shirt and sweats, making sure I have my phone in the pocket, I walk downstairs and out the door.

 

There’s a trail near my property that Katniss and I used to walk constantly. The trail leads into the forest and ends at Panem Park. There was an unspoken rule that we’d hold hands on our walks. I dreaded the moment where we would have to let our hands go. My hands always lingered longer on hers before I dropped it.

Katniss would observe the trees, making note of what type each one was, and animals we stumbled upon. I watched her.    

I found her enjoyment for the outdoors to be cute over the years. Her face would light up with excitement as we journeyed down the trail and she noticed something new or spotted her favorite sights.  

As I lean against a nearby tree, hands stuffed in my pockets, I think of the last time we walked this path.

……….

_Katniss breathes in through her nose and out her mouth. Her smile stretching across her face._

_“_ _I_ _love it here in the woods. Do you like it too, Peeta?”_

_I smile in response._

 

_We swing our hands back and forth as we venture deeper and deeper into the trees. The bright morning sun shedding its light through the forest, bringing it to life. I can hear the squirrels jumping from branch to branch. Catch a butterfly flying around our heads. Hear the birds chirping or singing. Katniss, with a little persuading, sings along with them._

_We’re admiring the view in a comfortable silence when Katniss speaks up._

_“Can I tell you something?”_  

_Nodding my head, I answer. “Sure, anything.”_

_She stops us, her hand squeezing mine._

_I give her an encouraging smile, waiting for what she has to tell me._

 

_Katniss seems nervous. When she bites her lip and shuffles her feet, I know Katniss has something on her mind._

_The wind picks up at that moment, causing a few strands of her chocolate hair to obscure her face. Without meaning to, I lean forward to tuck it behind her ear. I watch as her cheeks turn a little pink and her innocent eyes blink up at me. Softly, I caress her warm cheek. My heart is beating erratically against my chest at being so close to her._

_A bird above our heads chirps loudly, ruining our moment. We jump away from each other to compose ourselves._

_I slowly begin to walk in the direction of the park, prompting Katniss to follow me. We don’t reach out and hold each other’s hands this time._

_“What did you want to tell me?” I ask in an attempt to break the silence._

_“What?” Katniss’ voice goes up an octave._

_I stare at her shoes and repeat the question._

_She crosses her hands in front of her chest and shrugs. “Oh, nothing.”_

_By the sound of her tone, it doesn’t sound like nothing._ _I raise an eyebrow at her. “You sure?”_

_She sighs. “I’m thinking about making a trip down to Denver sometime in the summer. It’s been so long since I’ve been there.”_

_“What’s in Denver?”_ _She hits me on my shoulder. A laugh bubbles up my chest and I let it out. “What?”_

_Katniss stands up to her full height, arms still crossed and leveling me with her trademark glare. “I can’t believe you don’t know my hometown. I’m ashamed.” She sticks her nose up in the air and makes a big show of marching away from me._

_I jog to close the distance between us and hold her waist to stop her. She turns in my arms, giggling at me. I drop my hands and smirk at her._

_“How’s it my fault I had no idea you lived anywhere outside of Panem? When did you move?”_

_Katniss stops laughing and tugs my arm to keep us moving forward. “I was really little. I can’t really remember. Mom said it was before Prim was born, so maybe when I was three or four.”_

_She keeps her hand on my bicep. I don’t complain._

 

_“You surprise me every day, Everdeen.”_

_“Keep up, Mellark. I have lots of surprises in store for you.”_

_………._

“Denver!” I shout.

I sprint back inside the bakery, almost knocking the tray of fresh buns Rye has in his hands and burst through my bedroom door. I pack what I can, then race back down. Dad and Rye both shoot me bewildered looks at my behavior and the carry on that I’m holding.

“I know where she is! I have to leave now. Bye!” I’m outside before I can finish.

As I purchase my ticket and wait to board the plane, I can’t help but wonder how she will react when she sees me.

 

I get my answer a few hours later. I was only able to say her name until I felt my face jerk to the side. Rubbing my jaw, I see a looming figure standing over me on my spot on the ground. His knuckles white and a look that said, “I dare you to get up”.

“Gale! Calm down!” Katniss bends down and gently her fingers ghost over my chin. I wince in pain.

Katniss glares at the tall guy for a second for giving me a bruise, then helps me off the floor. She wipes the dust off my back but immediately stops as if she remembers she’s not supposed to do that.

“You didn’t have to do that, Gale!” Katniss screams in Gale’s face. Her finger jabbing his chest.

Gale throws it off him with a huff. “He deserves it.”

Katniss shakes her head at him. Leaning forward, she whispers. “This is my fight. I can handle it on my own.”

Gale sizes me up, his mouth twisting into a grimace. As he’s glaring menacingly my way, he mutters. “Just get him out of my sight.”

Katniss rolls her eyes and gestures with her hand for me to follow her.

 

She leads me into a small office behind a large counter and waits for me to enter before shutting the door. There’s not much room to roam what with the desk covered with receipts and important documents and books spread out on the floor.

I set my carry on on the ground by my feet and glance up at my best friend. She’s focused on the opened spiral notebook lying on the shelf carelessly, ignoring me.

When I’ve been silent too long, she finally turns and sees me on my knees. Her brows turn in, confused by what I’m doing.

“P-Peeta?” 

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.” I blurt out. “I was expecting a slap across the face, some yelling and me heading back to the airport by now. Instead, I get a punch from a random guy and a chance to redeem myself.” I smile ruefully. “I deserved that punch, by the way. Probably another one down here too,” I point to my nether regions.

Gale’s face appears behind the glass window on the door. “Don’t tempt me, asshole!” Gale’s gone before Katniss can tell him to go away. She chuckles quietly.

We lock gazes with each other for a long moment. The hurt in her eyes makes me feel a million times worse than I already do.

It’s suddenly hard for me to swallow. I cough to talk around the lump in my throat.

“I’m a piece of shit for thinking you were the things I accused you of. I can blame Delly for it, but I won’t. I made the choice of choosing someone else over my best friend and I will regret that for the rest of my life.”

I pause when Katniss starts wiping away her tears. My heart contracts painfully and I resist the urge to wrap my arms around her. Her tears continue to fall and I try to hold mine back as I continue.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t my regular self. That I didn’t notice how I kept hurting you when I failed to believe you. That I gave all my time to someone else and not to you, the most important person in my life. The only important person in my life.” 

Katniss jerks her head up at the last sentence. Her bloodshot eyes wide in surprise.

Going with my gut, I’m up on my feet and reach her in two strides. I hug her tightly to my chest and she grabs my shoulders, digging her nails into my shoulder blades. I bury my face in her neck, smelling the comforting scent of woods and vanilla. “I’m sorry, Katniss. I’m sorry. And I’ll keep saying it every day until you finally believe it.”

 

Katniss and I stay in our tight embrace for a long time.

 

We separate when a woman with pink streaks in her blonde hair steps inside the room.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was I interrupting something?” She winks exaggeratedly.

Gale interjects from somewhere in the store. “THEY BETTER NOT BE FUCKING!”

I run my fingers through my hair and avoid looking at Katniss as I start to blush.

“Hey.” The woman calls our attention. Her eyes bounce between me and Katniss. “Seriously, everything okay?”

Taking from Katniss’ soft expression when she meets my gaze, I know we’re better than okay.

I reach up to clear a stray tear out of the corner of her eye.

 

“We’re together,” I say simply.

………

**Present**

 

Peeta stirs awake, his eyes blinking against the harsh morning light that filters through the curtains in the hotel room. After adjusting to it, he sees me ogling him. Grinning, Peeta rolls over me and peppers my face and neck with kisses.

I laugh at his silliness. “Baby, stop. That tickles.”

Peeta stops, but not before he leaves a lingering kiss on my forehead. He falls next to me on the bed and pulls me closer to him. Our noses touch, our breath mingling.

“I love you.” Peeta laughs breathlessly. “I still get shocked that I can say that to you now.”

I smile. “And I still get goosebumps when you tell me.”

We kiss which soon goes from sweet to hot.

 

We’re not quiet at all this time around. It’ll be embarrassing if we run into our neighbors, but I can’t find it in me to care at the moment.

 

After we finish, we cuddle in the bed. Peeta spooning me from behind with our hands interlacing.

Peeta leans down to whisper in my ear. “Did you ever imagine us together like this?”

I look up at him and say, “All the time. I hoped you did.”

He grins wolfishly. “Oh, I did. Constantly.”

Sharing a deep kiss, I tell him. “Stay, Peeta. Stay with me.”

He kisses my wedding ring, or more specifically the pearl he gave me when we were kids, and replies.

“Always.” 

……….

 _Katniss and I are at the beach today trying to make sandcastles._ _Katniss asked her parents if I could join on their trip to the beach. She begged and pleaded until they finally said yes._

_I’m trying to build windows and a huge door when as I’m digging for more sand, I find a seashell._

_I gasp. “Katniss! Katniss, look!” I grab her arm and show her the pretty seashell._

_Katniss glanced at it for a second, then lost interest and went back to her lopsided sandcastle. “Oh, there’s nothing pretty about the seashell. It’s what’s_ inside _that truly makes it a treasure.”_

_With that, I open it and find a silver pearl nestled inside._

_It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen._

 

_I get an idea._

 

_I crawl over to Katniss and catch her eye. I clear my throat loudly and deepen my voice._

_“Katniss Everdeen. Would you be the bestest friend ever and be my wife?” I open the shell and present the pearl to Katniss._

_Katniss smiles so big, I can see all her teeth. Her face gets pink as she nods her head at me. I grab the pearl carefully and place it in her outstretched palm._

_“Thank you, Peeta.”_  

_I look down shyly. “You’re welcome.”_

_……..._

**Author's Note:**

> This is my contribution for the summer 2018 Hope for Caroline charity for the theme "when we were young". 
> 
> I'm a person who helps in any way they can, so I joined this year to donate a story since I'm poor and couldn't donate money. 
> 
> Happy reading!


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